Kantei

NH-0010 Rank 30

Fujiwara Yoshikuni

藤原吉國作

Early Edo blade signed “Fujiwara Yoshikuni saku”, with an ubu tang of a single mekugi-ana, Tokubetsu Hozon papers and a period uchigatana koshirae with a gold-inlaid tsuba.

Shintō (1596-1780)Early Edo periodDesconocida (la NBTHK anota «国不明・新刀»: provincia desconocida, shintō)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

An early Edo blade signed “Fujiwara Yoshikuni saku”; the original seller does not state the smith's province. It measures 70.7 cm of nagasa with 1.5 cm of sori, 31.0 mm of motohaba and 7.7 mm of motokasane, with a clear taper from base to point and a somewhat elongated chū-kissaki. The hada is ko-itame with mokume, well forged and slightly standing; the hamon is notare with gunome, with fine activity along the edge, ashi and yō in the heads of the temper line, and a burnt gunome below the yokote; the bōshi runs straight to a round point. The tang remains ubu, clean and with no visible retouching, with a single mekugi-ana. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper was issued in August 2025. The blade comes with an uchigatana koshirae: dark chestnut lacquered saya, black ito over same, gold menuki and a round iron tsuba with bamboo inlaid in gold, two gilt seppa, a gold habaki, plus shirasaya and tsunagi. It weighs 781 g bare and 1,097 g mounted.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper issued in August 2025
  • Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
  • 70.7 cm of nagasa: 781 g bare and 1,097 g mounted
  • Period uchigatana koshirae with an iron tsuba inlaid with bamboo in gold
  • Ko-itame hada with mokume and a notare-gunome hamon with ashi and yō
  • Supplied with shirasaya and tsunagi

Points to bear in mind

  • The signature carries no date
  • The smith's province is not stated
  • The original seller warns that the tsuba rattles and that the hilt has slight play
  • The fittings have no tōsōgu papers of their own

Score breakdown

65.8/100

The score shares out 100 points: Signature and date 18 · Tang 22 · Mounting 18 · Declared condition 20 · Blade 8 · Shirasaya 4 · Price 10. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. The mounting starts from what is known of its period, adds what vouches for it (its own NBTHK paper, a signed fitting, a crest) and subtracts what has been restored (saya, ito, same, habaki or sageo).

  1. Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
  3. Mounting 1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
  4. Declared condition 12 of 20 With a warning from the seller at origin
  5. Blade 8 of 8 70.7 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 8.8 of 10 Rank 15 of 122 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest